Visotek partnered with the Navy to develop a portable high power diode laser system to be utilized on naval destroyers for advanced metal passivization of corrosion prone areas. A special handheld optics was developed that combines the performance of three processes into a single operation. First, laser cleaning is applied to remove weld slag, contaminants, and rust. Second, a dense layer of corrosion resistant material is deposited via laser cladding. Third, an epoxy powder is sprayed onto the treated zone and melted by the heat remaining from the cladding process.

The MetalPass system offers precise controllability of laser processing enabling high quality metal passivization layers for contained areas of new structures, as well as repair, even within areas of limited accessibility. Laser cleaning evaporates the contaminates from the surface to be treated and the debris is collected by a vacuum system. Since laser cleaning is a dry process, it is environmentally friendly. Laser cladding is a unique process that deposits a cathodic protection layer directly over the corrosion prone area. The painting system uses the residual heat from the cladding process to apply an epoxy topcoat without overspray in a precisely controlled area.

When you require a portable diode laser solution, Visotek and its Smart Laser Tools™ are your partners.

Using an 808nm DL series diode laser and two human albumin-based biomaterials, she is repairing organs such as the liver and kidney involved in trauma, cancer and transplantation. Benefits include shorter operating times, instant control of bleeding, decreased morbidity and mortality, reduced hospital stays, lower healthcare costs, fewer transfusions, and a larger donor pool for liver transplants by enabling split-liver transplantation.

When you require a diode laser to be tailored to and qualified for a specific environment … Visotek is your partner.

Dr. John Patten, Professor and Chair of Manufacturing Engineering at Western Michigan University, has received one of six 2009 innovation awards from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Dr. Patten was recognized for developing an innovative micro-laser-assisted machining process that utilizes a Visotek DL series diode laser system.

Called μ-LAM, the process uses a laser directly coupled to a cutting tool to heat and thermally soften material to be machined, with the laser beam passing through the transparent diamond-cutting tool. The process is effective for machining non-ferrous materials that are hard and brittle, such as ceramics and semiconductors. It leaves minimal waste and substantially reduces tool wear.

When you require a diode laser to develop or enable a new technology, Visotek and its Smart Laser Tools™ are here to assist you.

Visotek has partnered with a Tier 1 automotive supplier to produce high volume laser welded assemblies for the past 7 years. The customer requested an application study to determine feasibility of laser welding to join 3 separate components made of metal and stainless steel. After successfully demonstrating the viability of the process, the customer contracted development of a fully automated machine. Visotek performed pre-production run-off of the equipment and to date has produced more than 3 million laser-welded components with quality that exceeds our customer’s requirements.

Visotek and its research and development partner Fraunhofer USA, Center for Laser Technology have produced a single emitter laser diode package in development work sponsored by the Michigan 21st Century Jobs Fund and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Visotek utilized thin film solders, a reflow process and customized fixturing that positioned the laser diodes with micron accuracy far beyond industry norms. A unique and complicated automated wirebonding fixture and process was developed that allows hundreds of wirebonds to be applied at many different internal package heights. The outcome of the effort was a true leapfrog in the brightness of then currently available diode lasers. Ultra high brightness (UHB), high power diode laser systems, patented by Fraunhofer, enable new applications in the industrial manufacturing and homeland security markets, allowing the end user to realize all the benefits of high performance lasers with the advantages of traditional diode lasers; including the compact footprint, low cost of ownership, high efficiency and reliability.